WARWICKSHIRE booked a home Twenty20 quarter-final by beating Worcestershire by nine runs in a truncated contest at Edgbaston.

The victory, the Bears’ fourth in succession, ensured them a top-two finish in the northern group meaning that Edgbaston will host a quarter-final on July 26 or 27.

Warwickshire will face Leicestershire in their final group match at Grace Road tomorrow with pressure off after seeing off their neighbours in a game reduced to 15 overs per side.

A half-century from Jonathan Trott underpinned the Bears’ 112 for four.

Worcestershire big-hitters Vikram Solanki and Sanath Jayasuriya then both fell first ball as the Royals managed only 103 to end their hopes of reaching the last eight.

Put in, Warwickshire found run-gathering tricky, not least against the slow bowlers. Worcestershire deployed four spinners including former Bears pair Moeen Ali and Shaaiq Choudhry who both tasted rapid success.

Ali took a return catch to dismiss Neil Carter first ball and had Keith Barker caught at extra-cover.

Choudhry’s second ball then ended a perky innings from Jim Troughton (18, 18 balls) when the left-hander skied to third man.

Trott refused to be panicked either by the shortage of overs or wickets falling at the other and found a canny partner in Darren Maddy.

On a slow pitch, with a slowish outfield, batting wasn’t easy against disciplined bowling (Worcestershire delivered just one wide) and the experienced pair seemed reluctant to turn ones into twos – surprisingly as the Bears’ excellent running between the wickets has been a feature of their progress through the group.

But they added 55 in six overs before Maddy (27, 21 balls) sent up a skier off Jack Shantry.

Trott advanced to his twelfth T20 half-century and ended with 53 (37 balls, six fours) while Rikki Clarke lifted one sphere into the building site late on.

The Bears then enjoyed two big bonuses in the first two overs of Worcestershire’s reply. It’s first ball, from Carter, was short and wide and Solanki flayed it to point where Troughton took a fine catch. Jayasuriya had to wait until the 12th ball of the innings for his first – and promptly lifted Chris Woakes straight to long-leg.

Woakes suffered in his second over, conceding 16, but one of the few certainties in T20 cricket is that Keith Barker takes a wicket in his first over.

This time his first ball did the trick when Ali (23, 16 balls) shanked it to to cover. At 34 for three, the home side were wobbling but Kervezee and Darryl Mitchell added 38 in five wickets before the latter lashed Stef Piolet’s second ball to deep mid-wicket.

After Kerevzee’s resistance ended, the Bears closed professionally in on an Edgbaston showpiece occasion.